The Outstanding Alumna Award, one of the highest honors that Sweet Briar College can bestow, was presented to Elizabeth (Betsy) Smith White of the Class of 1959 on May 15, 2004 during the Reunion Convocation.

Betsy served on the Sweet Briar College Board of Directors for nine years, for the last three as Vice Chairman. She was a member of the Alumnae Association Board for 10 years, four of which were concurrent with the College Board. A resolution passed by the Board of the Alumnae Association and presented with the award stated: "All of [Betsy's] board service has been marked by her integrity, her thoughtfulness, her signature clear-headedness, and her rare combination of the practical with the visionary."

The citation also stated:" In her volunteer work for Sweet Briar, Betsy has focused, with her characteristic forthrightness, on two main things: the excellence of the academic aspect of the College, and the raising of funds to support it. In carrying out a multitude of tasks with great efficiency but with unfailing charm and graciousness, Betsy exemplifies the qualities that Sweet Briar strives to impart to its students."

Betsy's husband, William A. White, Jr., their three daughters and four granddaughters were present for the ceremony, along with an enthusiastic crowd of 1959 classmates and many other alumnae on campus for Reunion.